50 ways to a healthier 2005: 31-40

by THEA JOURDAN, Daily Mail

Last updated at 16:18 04 January 2005

Breakfast like a kingNigel Denby, nutritionist on Channel 4's The Fit Farm:

Always eat breakfast because it kickstarts the metabolism after the night-time fast. Try eating foods with a low glycaemic index, such as porridge or muesli. These foods release sugars slowly into the bloodstream so you don't feel hungry again until lunchtime.

Take the stairs

Kathryn Freeland, celebrity fitness instructor:

Always use the stairs instead of the escalator or lift. Climbing stairs is excellent cardiovascular exercise and will tone up your legs and thighs. Keep your tummy muscles pulled in and you will work out your abdominal muscles, too.

Express yourselfProfessor Edward de Bono, psychologist and author:

Find your creative side and it will boost your general wellbeing. Adults are often unable to express their creativity because they are afraid of failure. They start believing that the most important thing is to be right all the time. If you learn to look at things in a different way, you are less likely to suffer from depression and other mental health problems.

Switch off

Gladeana McMahon, director of the Centre for Stress Management:

Learn to switch off from time to time and forget day-to-day worries. Find a spot on your own away from TV or other noise and concentrate on your breathing, even if only for a few minutes. Psychological stress can make you physically ill, lowering the immune system and making you more vulnerable to certain infections.

Sing out

Suzi Digby, founder of The Voices Foundation, running music workshops:

Take up singing, it's never too late. Music making is a creative activity which is emotionally satisfying and intellectually stimulating. Studies have shown that singers produce endorphins, the feel-good hormones, so your mood will improve as well.

Take note

Chloe Critchley, surgeon at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London:

Keep a notebook and pen by the bedside, so when you wake up in the middle of the night worrying, you can make a few notes then get on with a good night's sleep. In the morning, you will be able to tackle your worries from a fresh perspective.

Go organic

Spencer Fitzgibbon, Green Party spokesman for climate change:

Eat as much organic food as you can afford, even if you start with just organic root vegetables. It is much healthier for you and sustains more jobs and wildlife per acre than food grown with pesticides and chemicals. It tastes better, too.

Wise up to walnutsProfessor Steven Bloom, leading obesity expert:

Eat walnuts daily for a longer life. Health wise they are the best nut, with the lowest fat content. Research published this year shows that regular consumption can add five to ten years to your life. They protect the heart and significantly reduce cholesterol. Eat them as a snack, in salads or grind them, up to make a stuffing for white meat or fish.

Make love, not war

Denise Knowles, 50, Relate counsellor and sex therapist:

Have more sex! A healthy passionate sex life is good emotionally and physically - and might help you avoid you having to see people like me. Endorphins - feel-good hormones - are released by sex, so love-making does make you feel good.